There's Promising News In The Fight Against The Flu

It's been a brutal flu season thus far, and sadly, experts predict the flu will linger on and continue to spread for a couple more months.

But, an experimental new drug offers some promising news.

While the flu shot is still recommended as the best defense of preventing the flu, its success rate varies from year to year.

However, researchers in Japan have experimented with a drug they say can not only shorten the duration a person suffers from the flu, but also stop the virus in its tracks -- In one day.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a test group of people suffering from the flu voluntarily tried one dose of the Shionogi & Co. compound and recovered from the flu in about a day.

The trial provides hope for both people suffering from the flu and helping to contain the spread of the virus.

It is believed the drug prevents the virus from hijacking the cells in the human body, thus killing the virus before it takes its toll.

While the World Health Organization said this breakthrough discovery could eventually change the way doctors treat patients suffering from the flu, at this time the drug has not been approved for widespread use in the United States. That submission is slated for this summer. If approved, people who suffer from the flu in the United States could halt the virus as early as next flu season.

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